At Moffitt Cancer Center, we come face-to-face with cancer every day, but we also see courage. And it inspires us to be the safest and best place for cancer care – to bring greater hope to every patient we serve. It’s why we’ve been continually named One of the Top Places to Work in the Tampa Bay Area. As the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center based in Florida, Moffitt employs some of the best and brightest minds from around the world. Moffitt is the leading cancer hospital in both Florida and the Southeast and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. Because working at Moffitt is both a career and a mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. Join a dedicated, diverse and inclusive team of over 7,000 to be a part of the Courageous future we envision.

Summary

Postdoctoral Fellow – Translational Research in Ovarian Cancer

Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute is proud to be Florida’s only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center located in Tampa. We strive to be the leader in understanding the complexity of cancer through team science and applying those insights for human benefits. Every Team Member of Moffitt focuses on our lasting commitment to our mission: To contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. 

Dr. Erin George is a surgeon-scientist and Assistant Member in the Department of Gynecologic Oncology with a secondary appointment in Drug Discovery at Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. George has completed a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering, a Medical Degree, and an Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency at Columbia University followed by a Gynecologic Oncology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) most recently in 2018, with nearly a decade of experience with preclinical models in ovarian cancer, in particular, the orthotopic patient derived xenograft (PDX) models. Dr. George is a PI on a targeted tissue collection protocol in ovarian cancer (MCC 22609) and building a repertoire of orthotopic PDX models as well as microtumor explants in a novel culture system. The George lab is currently working closely with collaborators in Drug Discovery (high throughput drug screen, chemical proteomics) and BioEngineering (novel ex vivo culture system, advanced live imaging, single cell sampling) with the goal of bringing novel targeted treatment approaches to patients via phase I/II clinical trials.

Position Highlights:

• Access to patient samples collected at the time of ovarian cancer surgeries to develop microtumor explant and orthotopic patient derived xenograft models.
• Identify and validating novel targeted combination therapy approaches for ovarian cancer for direct clinical translation.
• Close collaborations with other labs in BioEngineering, Drug Discovery, Molecular Oncology, and Quantitative Science.
• Moffitt integrates excellent patient care with cutting-edge clinical and basic research. Having a cancer hospital on-site provides unique opportunities for translational research.
• Outstanding mentorship from expert faculty with wide-ranging funded research programs including T32 Training Grants.
• You will be encouraged and supported to apply for training grants.

The Ideal Candidate:

• Candidates with a cancer biology background (or related discipline) and a strong interest in translational research are preferred.
• Prior experience with mammalian cell culture, patient-derived model development, cell transfection assays, and extraction of nucleic acids and protein from patient tissue samples will be given priority.

Responsibilities:

• In vitro work will include cell culture, cell viability assays, immunoblotting, retroviral/lentiviral transfection, RNAi, and flow cytometry
• Candidates are expected to work closely with collaborators on high-throughput drug screens and chemical proteomic experiments to identify and validate novel drugs and drug combinations
• Candidates are expected to work closely with collaborators in BioEngineering and Molecular Oncology to develop and characterize novel microtumor explant ovarian cancer models, which will ultimately be used for drug screens and discovery
• In vivo work will include developing and characterizing orthotopic ovarian cancer patient derived xenograft models to be used for subsequent in vivo drug validation experiments

Credentials and Qualifications:

• MD or PhD in cancer biology (or related discipline) is required
• Should have at least one first Author publication.

Moffitt Postdocs are provided with Medical (Moffitt covers premium for team members) effective upon start date and eligible for Dental, Vision, Paid Time Off, Retirement, Parental Leave and more. You may be eligible for relocation assistance per policy. Reasons to relocate, aside from the sunshine, beaches and year-round outdoor recreation associated with the Gulf Coast of Florida, Tampa is a thriving metropolitan city, which has become a hub for ground-breaking research, welcoming individuals from around the globe. This diverse city is engulfed with rich culture, year-round activities for all, beautiful beaches, amazing cuisine and so much more. We strive for work/life balance.

If you have the vision, passion, and dedication to contribute to our mission,

then we have a place for you.

How to Apply: Interested applicants should send a single PDF file that includes a cover letter summarizing their research training and accomplishments, a personal statement of scientific interests and goals, current CV with recent publications, and contact information for three references to Dr. Erin George at Erin.George@moffitt.org.